"Which Version of Star Wars RPG Best Captures Films?" Topic

Pretty much says it all in the subject line. You can also suggest SW conversions for other systems, like Savage Worlds.

Thoughts?

I think the West End Games version did it best. By far.

The West End version rarely gets in the way of moving play along. I can't say that about any of the D20 versions.

Was the West End version the first?

West End Games, definitely.

Yes, WEG-SW was first, and yes, it was arguably best. d20's only advantage is that it's more up-to-date, and if you hate the prequel movies as much as some folks do, that's not really entirely a good thing.

OTOH, if it weren't for d20's fascination with pushing minis around in combat, we'd never have gotten all those prepainted SW figures. Hard not to like cheap stormtroopers. :)

West End/D6.

WEG for me too. Star Wars got us hooked on the D6 system, which we went on to play just about everything with for a couple years. We even picked up the sillier stuff like MiB and Herc/Xena.
I think I still have my WEG-SW books packed away in a storage shed somewhere…

I'll echo the WEG suggestion, particularly if you you're focusing on the original trilogy.

I do like the D20 version, but it doesn't capture the flavor of the first three movies like the old D6 version.

-Will

I picked up a collection 12+ of the West End hardback Star Wars RPG books at our local Con for a $1 USD each.

Another vote for West End.

PRO WEG
WEG's D6 system captures the feel of the original trilogy nicely. It is also a breeze to run and teach to new players. I like the starship rules much better than Wotc's. I do like Wotc's Force rules better.

Source material is a bit hit and miss. Weg did many sourcebooks including a great deal of Extended Universe, ie non canon, material. Personally that stuff didn't work for me but it is there if you want it.

PRO Wotc
Wotc has loads of great and mostly cheap minis which are still available and cover most every era of Star Wars to greater or lesser degree. You can use those for whichever system.

Wizards did some interesting era specific sourcebooks covering KOTOR, The New Republic/Vong War, the Prequels, the Clone Wars series (as of season 1), and Legacy among others. Most of these have been translated to D6 and are available for free download on "The Rancor Pit" website forum under Tools.

link

They only translate Alien species, droids, ships weapons and equipment and not characters though.

WEG and only WEG.

Years ago I was at a ski lodge and met a guy who was writing one of the Star Wars novels/series (name escapes me but I did later see his books on the shelves)… anyway, the reason I noticed him is because he had a big stack of the West End books that he was using for reference.

I do have to wonder how many WEG d6 fans ever played anything else, particularly the SAGA edition.

Nostalgia sometimes tends to color things…

When Timothy Zahn wrote the first new Star Wars books -- his Thrawn trilogy -- he was given a stack of WEG sourcebooks at LFL's behest, to use as his references. Of course, at that time there weren't really any other references except for the movies.

WEG!

WEG 2nd. No contest really. I've read the others and even briefly played them, but WEG left the others for dead.

I do have to wonder how many WEG d6 fans ever played anything else, particularly the SAGA edition.

I played the original D20 version (a total mess), the revised D20 edition (much better rules, but still tons of over complicated nonsense, like the table for multiple attacks and Attacks of Opportunity). You'll forgive me if I decided not to bother with the SAGA edition, since the previous two D20 efforts had disappointed me so much.

I'll freely admit that the D20 version of the game had much more to cover than the D6 game, and a different tone. Jedi powers, especially, were vastly expanded in scope and power in the prequel movies, and gave them more of a superhero feel than the pulpy/Saturday morning serial vibe of the original films.

I still prefer the WEG version though – either first edition for pure simplicity and action, or the revised second edition for a more solid ruleset.

What's the difference between 1st and 2nd WEG?

WEG, though the supplements were pretty bleh- well, most any that I saw.

I really don't care for the D20 system, but it REALLY didn't serve the SW universe well. Simpler is always more cinematic, unless you're GM is no good.

If you're looking for the books then you want WEG's Star Wars the RPG Second Edition Revised and Expanded (big black hardcover with the Millennium Falcon on the cover). It's got the final version of the rules.

I've played them all and Saga is the best. Bar none, by far. To much figuring in the WEG game. They were great for their time, but their time has past. They are still great reference material though.

SAGA edition feels just right for the universe. Elegant and balanced, Force users aren't overwhelming yet are still fun to play.

Running around the neighborhood with broomhandle lightsabers was the best edition. I guess we were 11 year old LARPers. Of course the Force was subtler in those days. No 30 foot vertical leaps or throwing trash cans across the street.

My vote is for WotC Saga Edition, but this may be because I haven't played any of the previous products--either WEG, or WotC's pre-saga rules.

That being said, however, I still have a few WEG supplements, because WotC didn't make a comparable product.

I've only GMed the WEG version so I can't make comparisons. What I can say however is that my players (who were not huge SW fans) always remarked how much the games "felt like the movies." It wasn't my lame adventures, it was definitely the game system. If you find it, buy it.

Well, for setting… WEG…
For action game play… Saga Ed…

The other d20 versions were totally lacking in all aspects…

SAGA edition feels just right for the universe. Elegant and balanced, Force users aren't overwhelming yet are still fun to play.

I dunno… Saga edition still has the D&D3.x feat stacking issue. You can *accidentally* build a character that can wipe the floor with Anakin.

I've heard good things about the d6 game (usually that it plays as fast/just like Ep4/5/6), but I'm not a huge star wars fan in general.

WEG. D20 is just a rules heavy mess.

For published games, WEG all the way. The d20 system is just a badly disguised D&D in space (Consider the term "force user" for example).

I have a feeling a modified Spirit of the Century would make a magnificent Star WarsRPG.

Its a toss-up D6 the WEG editions or Savage Worlds.

Lupulus – you could be onto something there. Any game system that favours narration over crunchy task resolution should be perfect for Star Wars. I may just break out Starblazer (SF Fate system) and give it a try.

Ian

WEG. Hands down.